Drop door for railway cars



Oct. 13, 1931. G. G. GILPIN DROP DOOR FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed April 29, 1929 Patented Oct 13, 1931 i PATENT OFFICE GARTH G. GILPIN, on RIVERSIDE, IIiLINoI s, AS SIGNOR To Union METAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE DROP noon non RAILWAY oARs Application. filed April 29,

My invention relates to the construction of railway cars of the dumping or drop bottom type such as hopper cars, hopper gondola cars, drop bottom or general service gondola cars or the like, having a door forming a part of the car for retaining the load therein, which door is provided with'hinges adjacent one of its edges and is capable of being dropped or swung open to discharge the load. Any means of raising the door to the closed position and any means for locking and releasing the door may be employed with my device. Such a door is commonly called a hopper door. v

The object of the invention is to provide a drop door for a railway car with a depending flange preferablyadjacent its perimeter, which flange, by its particular formation, has greater strength to resist deflection of the door under load than the ordinary flange.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a door which can be made of cast metal or of a rolled steel plate bent to the desired formation. i

In the drawings: Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a typical application. of one form of my construction to a, railway car.

Figs. 4: and 5 show a modified construction. The application of the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a so-called general service open top gondola car, wherein thefloor comprises a plurality of drop doors, which doors are supported by the center construction 2 by means of hinges 3 and supported adjacent the side wall 4 of the car by the locking mechanism. In the form of raising and supporting mechanism shown the operating shaft 5 is revolved to wind the chain 6 upon it and as soonas the door is in closed position the operating shaft 5 rolls itself under the door so asto form a support.

The shaft is provided with one or more drums doors thereby stronger to sustain loads.

perpendic- 1929. Serial No. 359,044.

means, such as 10, may be used to restrict the edges of the door, or the door may be provided with a continuous flange extending continuously around the door adjacent its perimeter. The entire flange may be formed at anacute angle to the body portion of the door, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In the preferred form, however, as shown in Figs. 1, 2

and 3," the continuous flange is formed in the acute angle to the body of the door at the middle portion of the edges of the door, but is formed perpendicular to the body of the door at the corners thereof, which stiflens the corners of the door against drooping.

It is common practice to provide hopper with depending flanges at the perimeter of the door. Such flanges, however,,are formed perpendicular to the body portion of the door. When the flanges are under stress, due to the load imposed upon the door, their tendencyis to buckle outwardly, that is, away from the door, but with the flanges formed at an acute angle, it requires a greater stress to deflect them, there- 7 fore, they are stronger and the door itself is WVhen the flanges are formed ular at the corners of the door, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tendency'of the flange to deflect under load is also resisted by the arch formed by the inclined flange between the two corners of the door.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details ofconstruction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: a

1. A railway car drop door having a continuous flange at its perimeter formed at an acute angle to the body of the door at the middle of the opposite edgesofthe'door.

perimeter.

2. A railway oar drop door having a continuous flange at its perimeter formed at an acute angle to the body of the door at the middle of the edges of the door, and perpendicular to said body at the corners thereof.

3. A railway oar drop door having a continuous inwardly deflected flange at its GARTH Gr. GILPIN. 

